Usually after that long of a time the kid is dead. Also most kidnappings that don’t end in death are by a relative or close friend. In this case it was by "The Drifter" so it has that "Move" feel. Most of the time "Drifters" kill the kids within a few hours.

It basically plays on every paranoid parents worst fears. The news media loves to scare people. It keeps them watching to see what horrible thing they have to worry about next.